The civil engineering firm which led the extension of the Midland Metro tram line in Birmingham city centre has won contracts worth £2.47 billion on the HS2 high-speed rail project.

Balfour Beatty, with its joint venture partner Vinci, has been awarded briefs by the Department for Transport to build two sections of the line which will eventually run from central London to Curzon Street in Birmingham.

The joint venture will build between the Long Itchington Wood Green tunnel to the Delta Junction/Birmingham Spur and then from Delta Junction to where the line ties up with the existing West Coast Main Line near Lichfield.

"Balfour Beatty's in-depth knowledge and expertise of British transport will be applied and complemented with the capabilities of Vinci's High Speed Tours-Bordeaux project in France.

"Collaborating in this way, the joint venture will deliver one of Britain's largest infrastructure projects in decades, creating thousands of jobs and supporting the economic growth of the country."

Carillion, the Wolverhampton-based construction giant which built the Library of Birmingham, has been awarded contracts for the development HS2 tunnels.

As part of a joint venture with Eiffage and Kier known as CEK, listed Carillion has won two projects worth a combined total of £1.4 billion.

CEK will build from North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley and Brackley to Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel South.

Main construction work is scheduled to start in 2018/19 following a period of detailed design work and the overall line is due for completion in 2026.

CGI of how Birmingham will look once HS2 is completed

Keith Cochrane, interim chief executive of Carillion following the resignation last week of Richard Howson, said: "We are delighted our joint venture has been selected to deliver two of the three central contracts for HS2 phase one.

"We look forward to working in close collaboration with HS2 to deliver this iconic project."

Mr Howson resigned following a profit warning to the stock exchange which wiped almost £600 million off the value of Carillion's share price.

Its joint venture partners Eiffage and Kier have moved swiftly to reassure the Government that they can step in to deliver the HS2 contracts if required.

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HS2 said in a statement that it "carried out additional due diligence" and the three companies have "confirmed that they underwrite the performance of each other in delivering the contract".

It added: "HS2, of course, will continue to monitor the situation."

The contracts are estimated to support 16,000 jobs.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP said: "This is a hugely important step in the construction of Britain's new railway and underlines this Government's determination to deliver an economy that works for all.

CGI of the HS2 station in Curzon Street

"HS2 will deliver vital links between some of our country's biggest cities, helping to drive economic growth and productivity in the North and Midlands.

"As well as providing desperately needed new seats and better connecting our major cities, HS2 will help re-balance our economy.

"We will now get on with building the railway, while continuing to ensure affected communities get appropriate support and are treated with fairness, compassion and respect."

Phase 2a of HS2 will run from the West Midlands to Crewe and is due to be ready in 2027.

Phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, and Birmingham to the East Midlands and Yorkshire is due to open in 2033.